Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Sled Day Video

Sled Day...Sorta

We headed out yesterday to find this great sledding spot near Mt. Hood. We checked the road report and it said, 'packed snow, snow chains required.' We decided we'd be adventurous southerners, and got some snow chains. We made it to the packed snow and were feeling a little nervous. I told Dan that if at any point, he wasn't feeling safe, that we should just turn around. He was driving, so I was going to leave it up to him. We pulled over and he put on the snow chains. Then we proceeded. The roads quickly turned to this...


After about ten miles, I was beyond freaked out. I was unsuccessfully trying to keep my cool. We never did any skidding around or sliding about, but there was sooooo much snow and the roads were narrow and curvy, with cliffs and drop offs to the sides. Finally, Dan said, 'I think we should turn around.' I was so happy. I then had to endure the driving back part and the feelings of guilt for hyping up a day of sledding to Halen. We decided to try to find a small roadside park where he could at least play in the snow. We found one that even had a little hill. He got to slide down a mini hill and throw some snowballs. We finished the day off in the adorable little town of Hood River, eating at Mother's Market Vegetarian (all vegan) Deli. We had some yummy vegan pizza and Lentil Soup. Then we had a yummy raw foods dessert of frozen pureed banana with maple syrup and nuts on top. To counteract the 'good for us' dessert, we also shared a vegan root beer float. Tofurkey is based in Hood River. The whole town smells like vegan Thanksgiving. It was pretty cool. We're going to try again soon, but on a day that the snow isn't falling so hard and the roads aren't so scary for us southerners.



Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Just Liam

Since Liam isn't walking and constantly saying, "look at me, look at me," he tends to get left out of pictures. He really was with us downtown today. For that matter, so was I. I guess that's what happens when you're a camera hog. I thought I'd add these pics I took of him being cute and smiley this morning, so he doesn't feel left out.


Downtown

We had a downtown and very cold family outing today. It was sunny, but in the 30s.

Halen got to ride the train, twice! Downtown Portland has a 300 block zone called the "fareless square." Within this area, you don't have to pay to take any public transit; light rail or bus. It makes jumping on and off the bus and train easy and fun.


I did a little downtown research and had a pre-planned route for us, with a simple little 'Dora-esque' picture map with all the things we were going to visit on it. Halen carried that around in his pocket and would look at it when we would consult our street map. We're still not real familiar with this downtown. I really want to be a bike messenger here for a few months, just so I know my way around like I did in other cities I've lived in. Anyway, this elephant, titled 'Da Tung' or 'Universal Peace', is a replica of an ancient Chinese sculpture. On it's back is a baby elephant (sorry you can't see that well in my pic, I was more concerned with my baby under it's belly), symbolizing safety and prosperity for offspring. Nearby is a nice little playground. It's a great downtown park for kids.


We took a stroll by the Williamette River, the river that bisects Portland. Back in 1974, the governor razed a freeway to build this nice 22 block riverside park! What a guy. The park is now named for him. Thanks Tom McCall.


No trip downtown would be complete without visiting Voodoo Donuts and picking up some sweet and very unhealthy vegan deliciousness. We got lucky too. Sitting on the counter was a beautiful pink box filled with 2 dozen vegan day-olds for $5! We shouldn't have, but we did!


This one is just Halen looking cool, taking a stroll.


We also ate some yummy food at Veganopolis, the hip downtown vegan breakfast and lunch spot. Stephen King's unofficial twin works there.
It was a good day. Liam stayed bundled and wrapped up on me, sleeping or nursing as we walked along. Halen enjoyed the walk and the sites. Dan and I enjoyed the ample sunshine, despite the cold. I look forward to doing it again soon. This summer will really be cool, because there are numerous kid-friendly fountains that Halen can play in. Woohoo.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Yo

Well, we've been sick. First it was Halen, then Dan, and now me. Liam is being the strongest of all, staying healthy while the rest of us sweat with fever, cough, and sneeze around him. He's a tough little guy.


We're bouncing on our balls.

Riding the turtle.

Bruce, the babysitter.

Halen's diapers have been falling off lately, if he's not wearing pants. It's pretty funny. As soon as they come off, he gets real excited and dances and runs all over the house saying, 'penis penis penis.' In Halen language, it's pronounced 'pee-nus.'

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Sunshine???






that's right, and lots of it! We're supposed to have sun for several days. We're planning on being outside for every ray, except naps of course! Halen got wore out today at the dog park, and is now sleeping soundly. There were about 20 dogs, and Halen was chasing them all. He got ran over too, but he didn't care.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Sweet Pants



I made Halen these cool wool pants from a recycled thrift store sweater. They're a little short. I didn't do any measurements, just winged it while he was napping. Next time I'll make 'em fit better. I think they're pretty cute though. We're going to try to go sledding today.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

One Month Old



Liam had a good one month birthday! Here's one of Liam today and one of Halen at the same age.

Friday, January 04, 2008

cheap flights

here are some cheap flights from ATL to PDX. Come visit!

Skate Route

Not only is Portland super vegan friendly, it's also super skater friendly. Halen's not going to have to worry about running from the cops for skateboarding.

OMSI






Dan had a day off yesterday, so we all went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. We saw an omnimax film on Antarctica. Halen got scared a few times, because it really looked like we were going to get run over by a boat when it first started. Anytime anything came right at us, he'd bury his face. Then we went to the 'From Penguins to Polar Bears" exhibit, where Halen got to climb in a bear den and slide like a penguin. He didn't learn a whole lot, but he sure had fun. I learned something. I learned that Polar Bears are the biggest bears, bigger than grizzlies even. I always thought grizzlies were the big dogs of the bear community.
The most surprising part of the science museum, to me, was the cafe. The soup of the day, right there on the menu, was 'Vegan Split Pea.' The chef's special was stir fried tofu and veggies. The permanent menu had both a garden and black bean burger. The salads looked fresh and delicious, and weren't just iceberg lettuce. They had a roasted veggie sandwich and a portabella sandwich. The mexican bar was full of options as well. Vegans don't go hungry in Portland, even where you don't expect to have good food choices. After all those yummy options, we didn't eat there. We had plans to eat at a vegetarian indian cart downtown. After playing in the science playground for awhile, we headed out. The Indian Cart was superb. The food was delicious, plentiful, and cheap. It's just a truck with a kitchen inside, but the menu was very extensive. Halen even got a vegan mango lassi! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Portland!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Haircut




Dan cut Halen's hair. I was really scared because I could hear the clippers going. I am quite fond of the curls, so I wasn't keen on the idea of a buzz cut. Luckily, that's not what he got. The cut is real cute, even though there are drastically less curls and that kinda makes me sad. I'm pretty sensitive to my boys growing up on me, and curls are one of those things I think Halen will grow out of.
Check out the sweet easel Halen got for Christmas. We spend all day drawing and painting.